In a continuing effort to improve the quality of shipping fruits, we, the inventors, typically hybridize a large number of nectarine, peach, plum, apricot, and cherry seedlings each year. The present invention relates to a new and distinct variety of nectarine tree, which has been denominated varietally as "Spring Sweet". The present variety was hybridized in 1992 by us in a cultivated area of our experimental orchard at Bradford Farms near Le Grand, Calif. in Merced County (San Joaquin Valley). It was the result of a first generation hybridization using Kay Diamond (U.S. Plant Pat. No. 8,923) yellow flesh nectarine as the selected seed parent and June Pearl (U.S. Plant Pat. No. 9,360) white flesh nectarine as the selected pollen parent. Subsequent to origination of the present variety of nectarine tree, we asexually reproduced it by budding and grafting, and such reproduction of plant and fruit characteristics were true to the original plant in all respects.
The present variety is most similar to its seed parent, the Kay Diamond (U.S. Plant Pat. No. 8,923) nectarine by producing fruit that is yellow in flesh color, very firm in texture, clingstone in type, and full red in skin color, but is distinguished therefrom and an improvement thereon by producing fruit that is clingstone instead of freestone, that is subacidic in flavor instead of acidic, that has a bitter kernel instead of sweet, and that matures about 5 days later.
The present variety is similar to its pollen parent, the June Pearl (U.S. Plant Pat. No. 9,360) white flesh nectarine, by producing full red colored clingstone nectarines that are subacidic in flavor, but is very distinguished therefrom by producing fruit that is yellow in flesh color instead of white, that ripens approximately 10 days later, and that is not prone to protruding apexes.